


you'll never have to be alone

by emily_hufflepuff



Category: The Last Kingdom (TV), The Warrior Chronicles | The Saxon Stories - Bernard Cornwell
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Smut, F/M, Modern Era, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:20:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29406132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emily_hufflepuff/pseuds/emily_hufflepuff
Summary: Finan is a third year at the University of Winchester. He has a lot on his plate, juggling university, rugby, and his bar job, and isn’t looking for love – until he falls for a beautiful redhead named Eadith.Eadith has been screwed over by every man she’s been with, will Finan be any different?Follow all your favourite TLK characters as they struggle to survive university, relationships and all that life can throw at them.
Relationships: Aethelflaed Lady of Mercia/Erik Thurgilson, Eadith (The Last Kingdom) & Osferth (c. 885-934), Eadith/Finan (The Last Kingdom), Ealhswith/Sihtric (The Last Kingdom), Gisela/Uhtred of Bebbanburg, Hild/Iseult (The Last Kingdom)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 12





	1. arsehole ex-boyfriends and a bus stop

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, first of all thank you for clicking on this fic. I've been reading some great modern TLK au's recently and was inspired to write my own. I am currently a uni student so it seemed natural to set my story at university. I would like to point out that I am British so this will be based on English uni life and I will use British words/swears/insults - if I think anything might not be understood by non-British people, I will explain in the notes. 
> 
> Slight warning: Although this is hopefully going to be a light-hearted, fun, rom-com kind of thing, there might be a scene with some attempted sexual assault - I'll warn you when/if we get to it. Plus bad language from the start. 
> 
> Please also bare in mind that the drinking age in Britain is 18 so everyone at university is legally allowed to drink.
> 
> I'm also trying really hard to take my time with this fic as I rushed some of my previous ones. I actually want to try and make this good, which means re-reading/re-writing which I hate! So fingers crossed.
> 
> Hope you enjoy the first chapter and stick around for the next instalment xxx

Eadith slumped in her chair as she drained her fourth cocktail of the night. Her housemates, Aelfled and Skade, were gossiping about something or other, probably bitching about one of their ‘friends’ behind their backs – but Eadith wasn’t listening. She had just been dumped by Guthred, having become bored with her after she had given him what he wanted. Just like all the other weasel shits she had dated, he had turned out to be a selfish turd who had only wanted to get in her pants.

She sat in a foul mood, the sad left-over Christmas decorations still adorning the pub only dampening her spirits further. Her present company did not help either; neither Aelfled or Skade were particularly nice people, always spreading rumours and making mean comments about people behind their backs, but they had been her flatmates in first year and somehow she had found herself stuck with them. Eadith hadn’t made any real friends at uni so far, she had been with a few boys who turned out to be arseholes but apart from that she had kept herself to herself, and therefore when it came to picking housemates for second year, it had been just easier to stay with Aelfled and Skade.

Sighing she dragged herself from her seat and went over to the bar to get another drink – god did she need one. She was pleased to see that the handsome barman was serving; he had a strong, athletic build with dark tousled hair, a well-kept beard and deep brown eyes – and that accent! She didn’t know his name but she had passed him a couple of times on campus, making her think he was a student working here part time.

‘What can I get ya’?’

‘Vodka orange, please,’ Eadith said with a sigh. Glancing around the packed pub she noticed a group of students at the back table, she recognised them from uni, well, she recognised one of the girls in particular. She grimaced, ‘better make that a double vodka orange.’

The barman frowned a little, glancing in her direction before making her drink.

‘Anything troublin’ ya’?’ the Irishman asked, giving her a kind look as he slid her drink towards her.

Eadith scoffed, ‘Oh you know, just my bastard of an ex-boyfriend,’ waving her bank card over the card machine, ‘but you don’t want to hear about that.’

‘I might,’ he answered with a cheeky smirk as he took back the machine.

‘Oh, I am nowhere near drunk enough, ask me later in the night,’ she laughed, eyeing him playfully before taking her drink and sulking back to her table.

Finan watched her as she walked away. He’d seen her in the pub before, which wasn’t surprising as The Dunholm Arms was the most popular pub with students in town. He couldn’t help but think she was beautiful, with long red hair like fire, fair skin, and grey eyes that lit up when she smiled. However, she always seemed to be drinking to forget something or someone, never just out for a laugh, and she never seemed to enjoy whatever company she was in. 

‘What were you talking to _her_ about?’

Finan’s head snapped back to look at the woman who had just addressed him. Aethelflaed stood there watching him, one arm leaning against the bar, her eyebrows raised.

‘Nothin’ much,’ he said as he began pouring her another cider, ‘why do you know her?’

‘I don’t _know_ her exactly,’ she began, rolling her eyes, ‘but I know _of_ her.’

Finan looked at Aethelflaed confused, waiting for her to explain what the hell that was supposed to mean.

‘That’s Eadith!’ She made an exaggerated sigh when Finan still clearly did not understand. ‘She’s the girl Aethelred was fucking behind my back – the reason I dumped him.’

‘Then in that case you should be thanking her,’ he replied with a smile. Aethelred was the biggest dickhead he had ever met, what possessed her to ever go out with him he would never know.

‘Not the point,’ she said; her voice was serious, but her lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile. She then looked down, fidgeting with her hands nervously, ‘is, er, Erik here?’

‘He’ll be here in about an hour.’

He had to suppress a laugh as Aethelflead tried to hide her excitement. Erik was a masters student who worked behind the bar with Finan and it was clear to everyone except themselves that they both fancied each other.

A few hours passed. Finan had almost forgotten about the redhaired girl and his conversation with Aethelflaed, having been kept busy behind the bar.

Eadith, meanwhile, had only gotten more miserable and more drunk as the night had drawn on. She had a 10 am the next morning and she knew that she would have a killer hangover, but she had decided that she would just have to deal with it. Aelfled and Skade had gone off to some club or other, leaving Eadith on her own as she hadn’t been in the mood. She drained her glass – she had lost count of how many drinks she had, had that night.

She glanced over to the bar and saw the handsome barman she had spoken to earlier, now in conversation with one of the other barmen. Perhaps it was the alcohol talking, but he really was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. His face lit up as he laughed heartily at something the other man said, somehow making his features even more beautiful.

Feeling bold from the alcohol, she drew herself up from her table and walked up to the bar, focusing so as not to sway from side to side. She was single and not bad looking, why shouldn’t she go up and talk to a hot barman?

‘Another vodka if you would be so kind,’ she slurred, plonking herself onto one of the stools at the side of the bar.

‘Are ya’ sure?’ he asked, raising one eyebrow at her, ‘I thank ya’ might have had enough for tonight.’

Laughing, Eadith nodded. ‘You are probably right, but right now I don’t care!’

‘This about the bastard ex-boyfriend?’

She looked at him in surprise, she hadn’t expected him to remember their conversation from earlier – he had served many people since then after all.

‘How could you guess?’ she chuckled. Deciding she was now suitably drunk to divulge her feelings to a stranger, she continued, ‘It’s just all the guys I’ve ever been with have been complete and utter _dick_ s! Like, is there something wrong with me? Why do I always end up with arseholes? They always either cheat on me or dump me once they get bored. Just _once_ I would like to be attracted to a man that doesn’t just think with his cock!’

She laughed bitterly. She was being utterly pitiful. Looking up she expected him to be laughing at her, or at least have a smirk on his face, but instead she was met with those kind eyes with something she thought she recognised as understanding.

‘Here,’ he said gently, handing her a glass of water.

‘Thanks,’ she murmured, taking a small sip.

‘I don’t think anything is wrong with ya’,’ he stated, his voice smooth and kind. ‘The world is just full of arseholes we’d rather forget we ever met. Out of a hundred people, ninety-nine are going to be idiots and complete dickheads and anyone who tries to tell you different is lyin’.’

‘You really have a sunny outlook on humanity, don’t you?’

‘I’d say I have a realistic outlook.’ He gave her a kind smile. ‘But that don’t mean I’m telling ya’ to give up. Out of all those arseholes there is one that will be the kindest, greatest person you’ll ever meet – all you have to do is find them.’

‘Easier said than done,’ she replied dryly, as she put on her coat to leave.

‘Where are ya’ friends?’

‘Gone to have fun without me.’

‘Good friends they are,’ he muttered sarcastically. ‘You going to be alright getting home?’

‘I’ll be fine, I’ll call a taxi,’ Eadith insisted, brushing off his concern.

With that she got off the stall and staggered out of the pub. Finan waited for a few moments before going to the window. Busying himself with clearing the nearby tables, he kept an eye on her until he saw her get into a taxi. Content that she would be okay, he turned back to the now half empty pub.

Uhtred and his friends were still at their usual table, surrounded by empty glasses. Aethelflaed, Aldhelm and Ealhswith had already left, leaving the usual suspects of Uhtred, Sihtric, Gisela, Iseult and Hild.

‘Come on, time for you to leave, we’re about to close.’

A groan erupted from the table.

‘Just a bit longer!’ Uhtred pleaded, ‘Why don’t you join us!’ he drunkenly cried, throwing an arm around Finan’s shoulders.

‘I’d love to, but you all have had enough if you’re ever going to get to your lectures tomorrow. Now come on, all of ya’.’

With a lot of persuading he managed to get them through the door. Uhtred had his arm around Gisela, whilst Hild and Iseult were holding hands, as they walked down the street towards the taxi rank.

‘See ya tomorrow!’ he shouted at them, trying not to laugh as Sihtric walked straight into a bin, causing him to swear loudly.

\---

Eadith woke the next morning with a splitting headache. Her insides felt like mush and the world began to spin terribly as she tried, and failed, to sit up. Falling back into her pillows, she let out a deep groan. Why did she do this to herself?

She eventually managed to drag herself from her bed. Drinking a gallon of water and managing a piece of toast to try and sober herself up, she threw on some clothes and grabbed her uni bag. She staggered down the street, her head still pounding, as she headed towards the bus stop. She had been halfway there when she saw the bus speed past along the main road, panicking she had tried to run to catch it. She had got to the bus stop just as it was pulling away. _Shit!_ The bus driver must have seen her but decided not to wait for her, the twat.

She heard heavy steps and laboured breathing come up behind her. She turned to see a man bent double, trying to regain his breath.

‘You just missed it mate,’ she called to him, trying to steady her own erratic breathing. Something about the guy seemed familiar.

Groaning, he straitened up, revealing the handsome face of the barman she had spoken to last night. She smiled nervously at him. She couldn’t quite remember what she had told him the night before, but she guessed it was more than she wanted a stranger to know.

‘When’s the next one?’ his breathing steadying.

She squinted at the small timetable pinned to the bus shelter, ‘fifthteen minutes,’ she answered with a grimace – she was going to be late.

‘Bollocks,’ he swore under his breath.

Sighing, Eadith leant against the bench in the bus shelter before turning towards the Irishman, ‘I have a hangover from hell, what’s your excuse?’

He eyed eye with half a smirk across his face. He shrugged a little before answering.

‘Couldn’t find my keys.’

He came and sat on the low wall facing the bus shelter, his muscular arms resting on his knees. They sat in silence for a while, Eadith fidgeting with her hands and trying to avoid awkwardly making eye contact. She glanced up to see his attractive face looking back at her. Their eyes met, causing a spark of heat at the bottom of her stomach and sending a blush to her cheeks. She looked away embarrassed.

‘What ya’ studying?’ he asked, breaking the silence.

‘English Lit,’ she replied with a small smile.

‘I could’ve guessed.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ she asked indigently, folding her arms and raising her eyebrows at him.

‘You look like an English student that’s all.’ A lopsided grin spreading across his face.

She could only guess that he referred to her rather bohemian style which marked her out as an Arts student. Today she was wearing a dark purple jumper with bell sleeves tucked into a full-length floral skirt. The Jane Austen peeking from the top of her bag was probably another clue.

‘Well, what do you study then?’

‘Law.’

‘Oh, well I wouldn’t have guessed that at all,’ she smirked, ‘aren’t Lawyers supposed to be classy and dignified? You’re far too scruffy.’

‘Scruffy?’ he asked incredulously, ‘me?’ getting up from the wall he was perching on and closing the few meter gap between them. ‘Says the girl who is still wearing makeup from last night and has toothpaste down her chin.’

Eadith rolled her eyes at him as she frantically began rubbing her chin. Finan couldn’t help but grin at her embarrassment. She still had a bit of toothpaste on her face and without really thinking he reached up to wipe it away, his thumb running along her jaw.

His light touch sent ripples of heat across Eadith’s face, making her cheeks burn despite the cold January morning air. She looked up and their eyes met once again, causing butterflies in her stomach.

‘The, er - the bus is coming,’ she stammered, nodding her head down the street, becoming painfully aware at how close they were standing.

‘Oh, thank God. I’m freezing by bloody balls off out here.’ He gave her cheeky grin, stepping back from her a couple of paces.

Eadith could feel his gaze on her as she waited for the bus to pull in. She couldn’t help but glance back at him a couple of times, blinking rapidly as she did so to try and distract from her blushing cheeks.

‘After you, _my lady_ ,’ he said, grandly gesturing for her to get on the bus first as the doors swung open. Eadith couldn’t help but laugh, a smile spreading across her face as she thanked him in an equally over the top, grand manner.

Finan watched her as she ascended the stairs of the double-decker bus, somehow not being able to tear his eyes away.

A loud cough brought him back to reality as he realised he still hadn’t paid the driver and was just standing at the front of the bus like an idiot. Suitably embarrassed he quickly handed over the money, mumbling for him to keep the change, and hastily slid into the closest available seat.

Despite the embarrassing moment and the stares and annoyed glares it had earned him from his fellow passengers, Finan found he couldn’t wipe the grin from his face.


	2. teasing friends and spilled coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Just a little background on the English education system for all those non-Brits out there:  
> Primary school (ages 4-11)  
> High school (ages 11-16)  
> Sixth form (ages 16-18)
> 
> University - normally lasts three years. Year broken into three terms: Michaelmas (Sep-Dec), Lent (Jan-Mar), and Summer (Apr-June). Most students study a single subject for the whole three years. 
> 
> First year Uni students often referred to as 'freshers'. Week before Michaelmas in first year called 'fresher's week' when loads of events are put on to help freshers get to know each other. 
> 
> Most people live in university halls in first year before moving into private rented shared houses in years 2 and 3.

By mid-day, Finan was starving. Leaving the lecture theatre behind, he began walking to the edge of campus. He followed the well-worn woodland path that led from campus into town, stopping occasionally to take in the view of the countryside that separated the city from the university. After about ten minutes the path led into a housing estate and from there it only took him a few minutes to get to Uhtred’s house.

Being only a ten-minute walk from campus, Uhtred’s house, which he shared with Sihtric, Gisela, Hild and Iseult, had become the main place their friends would meet during the day. Finan spent a lot of time there, especially when he had a few hours between lectures like he did today.

Over the course of the last three years, Uhtred had become like a brother to Finan. They had met at the rugby team trials in the first week of first year and had hit it off immediately. Uhtred was from Winchester, with his family living nearby. When he realised that Finan didn’t have anything to do with his family back in Ireland, Uhtred had forced his family to basically adopt him. He now spent every Christmas with Uhtred’s adoptive parents, and he would often visit Uhtred’s sister, Thyra, and her husband, Beocca, at the weekends. Uhtred had even got him a job at his brother, Ragnar’s, pub after Finan had mentioned he was tight for cash.

He knocked on the battered front door, only having to wait a few moments before it opened, a friendly face greeting him on the other side. Hild gave him a quick hug before leading him through to the living room. Finan fell onto the old sofa in his usual spot, resting his feet on the coffee table like he always did. Hild gave him a bit of a glare but said nothing.

Hild and Uhtred had been in halls together in first year and the three of them had soon become inseparable. She had become like a sister to him and she was the first person he would go to if he was in trouble. Finan found it hilarious that he had fancied her in Michaelmas term in first year, but he had soon realised she wasn’t interested. Uhtred had been more persistent though and had grown increasingly irritated that his flirting seemed to have no effect on her at all. Of course, it all made sense once Hild came out half-way through Lent term – not that this stopped Uhtred trying of course.

‘Hungry?’

‘Starving,’ Finan replied.

‘I have some leftover pasta from last night if you want some?’

Hild was the best cook of all of them and was one of the few who didn’t resort to ready meals and takeaways to survive. Finan accepted the Tupperware of left-over pasta gratefully, giving her a quick wink that made her roll her eyes.

‘Where’s the others?’ he asked, glancing around.

‘Uhtred and Gisela are “studying”,’ she started, clearly implying they were having sex, ‘Iseult only got up half an hour ago and is in the shower, and Sihtric is still dead from last night.’

Finan chuckled, Sihtric could never hold his alcohol. They had met Sihtric the previous year at the rugby trials; as second years already on the team, it had been up to Finan and Uhtred to put the freshers through their paces (and make their lives a living hell of course). Several training sessions, matches, drunken socials and pranks later, Sihtric had become one of their closest friends.

Just as Finan was finishing his pasta, Iseult came and joined them, her hair still wrapped in a towel from her shower. She kissed Hild lightly on the cheek as a way of greeting before shoving Finan to move up and let her sit on the sofa.

Iseult and Gisela had lived in the flat below Uhtred and Hild in first year and they had met at a few block parties in freshers’ week. Seeing as Iseult and Gisela hated their flatmates, they had ended up spending most of their time over at Uhtred and Hild’s. Iseult had always been very open about being bisexual and was very proud of it, which was one of the reasons Finan admired her. She was also extremely kind. It had made him laugh for weeks when Hild and Iseult had started dating at the end of first year because Uhtred had been trying (and failing) to get with both of them.

‘How’s your day going?’ Iseult asked, absentmindedly flicking through the channels on the TV.

‘Good, perfect really.’

‘I thought you said you missed your bus and got a bollocking from Dr Aethelhelm for being late?’ Hild asked with a raised eyebrow. This was true, of course; after missing his bus he had arrived for his seminar twenty minutes late and had been forced to sit through Aethelhelm’s ten-minute lecture on the importance of punctuality and respect. The old codger already hated his guts, so he doubted it made much difference in the long run. However, despite his seminar tutor’s best efforts, Finan had been filled with a warm, happy feeling all morning; he had a suspicion that it had something to do with his encounter with Eadith, but Hild certainly didn’t need to know that.

‘Oh ya’ know, wasn’t that bad,’ Finan mumbled, trying not to think of Eadith. 

‘What happened?’ Iseult asked, turning away from the TV.

‘Nothing,’ he replied, probably too quickly.

‘You’re blushing!’ Hild exclaimed. ‘You met someone, didn’t you?’ It was infuriating how well she could read him.

‘Who did Finan meet?’ chirped Gisela, as she happily wondered through the door.

‘No one. Nothing happened.’

‘What happened?’ came Uhtred’s booming voice as he strolled into the room. Obviously very pleased with all the “studying” him and Gisela had been doing.

Finan groaned, he doubted how this could get any more embarrassing. There was a knock at the door and it quickly turned out that it could. In strolled Aethelflaed, Aldhelm and Ealhswith. They were all second years and had a flat together in town; ever since Ealhswith had started dating Sihtric last year they increasingly all hanged out together.

‘Where’s Sihtric?’ Ealhswith asked, rolling her eyes when she heard that her boyfriend was still in bed.

‘So?’ Hild asked turning back to Finan, determined to get back to the previous conversation.

‘So what? What’s going on?’ asked Aethelflaed, bringing the spare chair in from the kitchen.

‘Something happened to make Finan blush – we think he’s met someone!’ giggled Iseult.

‘It doesn’t have anything to do with Eadith, does it?’ Aethelflaed smirked.

Finan looked to the ceiling in exasperation. He loved his friends like they were family, but they did love to tease him.

‘Eadith? As in Aethelred and Eadith?’ Aldhelm chimed in, perching on the arm of the sofa. Aldhelm had been best friends with Aethelred at sixth form, however he had soon realised what a piece of shit he was and became best friends with Aethelflaed instead.

‘Yes! She was eyeing him all last night and Finan was totally eyeing her back!’

‘Was not.’ Finan grumbled defensively.

‘Leave the poor guy alone,’ Uhtred called, giving Finan a slap on the back and a wink.

He was grateful to Uhtred; Finan was a private man and hated talking about his personal business with other people. However, he had no idea why he got so flustered when they talked about Eadith, he’d talked to her twice and they had been perfectly normal interactions. She was beautiful, sure, but it wasn’t like he fancied her or anything.

\---

Eadith sat on the steps of King Alfred Square, which was situated at the centre of campus, soaking up the winter sun. It was a cold January day, but the sky was clear, and the sun was shining. After being stuck inside for the whole morning she enjoyed having some fresh air. She took out her Jane Austen novel, turning to the page she had bookmarked, and started to read, making notes in pencil down the margin.

Her peace was interrupted by the buzzing of her phone. She ignored it. She knew who it was, and she didn’t want to hear from that turd brain.

She continued her reading, turning her phone on silent so she didn’t have to listen to the persistent buzzing of messages, only stopping to occasionally take a sip of her hot chocolate. She loved reading, even if it was for uni work. She loved how you could get lost in another world, another life, and lose yourself in a character and forget about your worries. She hoped to one day write her own novels – a dream she had held since she was a little girl.

‘There you are,’ came a whiney voice she knew all too well. She looked up from her book to see Aethelred’s smug face looking down at her, the sense of peace she had been feeling moments before disappearing instantly.

‘Here I am,’ she replied with a tight smile.

‘Did you get my texts?’

‘Yes.’

‘Well you didn’t text me back.’

‘Yes, well maybe you aren’t exactly the person I want to talk with right now?’ she managed through gritted teeth.

‘Oh, but you see that’s where you’re wrong,’ he replied in his snobbish voice. He lowered himself next to where Eadith sat on the steps, sitting far too close for comfort. ‘I’m exactly who you want to talk with. Now you have broken up with Guthred, we can get back together. We are perfect for each other, Eadith, and you know it!’

Eadith gave him a small smile, trying not to show her disgust. Aethelred had lied to her about being with Aethelflaed – she would never have got with him if she’d known he was cheating. He’d also proved to be a massive dickhead who clearly only cared about himself and had no respect for anyone else; you only had to watch how he treated the waitresses in a restaurant to know he was an arsehole. Eadith had no intention of getting back with him but she knew she had to remain civil – he wasn’t someone she wanted to piss off.

‘You know I don’t think we would work out in the long run,’ her smile waning as she made a show of packing up her things.

‘Maybe you’re right, but that’s not to rule out a casual hook up, now is it?’ He winked at her, giving her a disgusting grin as he looked her up and down like she was an object he owned. He made her skin crawl.

‘I’m not sure that would be a good idea,’ she said tightly, gritting her teeth even more, ‘now I have places I need to be.’

\---

Eadith sat in the library, gazing out of the window. The sun was low in the sky as afternoon turned into evening, the campus being illuminated by a warm glow. She sat twiddling her pen absentmindedly, her lecture notes long forgotten.

It had been a long day and she had a headache, mainly due to her still persistent hangover but also because of her interaction with Aethelred. After their meeting in the square, he had continued to message her constantly; eventually she had sent him a non-committal text just to shut him up.

She glanced around the library, most people had gone home or were in the process of packing their stuff up. Her eyes fell on a man sitting hunched over a myriad of textbooks on the back table. His back was towards her, but she recognised him as the handsome barman. She smiled despite herself, remembering how she had felt as he had touched her jaw and looked into her eyes. Shaking her head, she turned away trying to forget about him – she didn’t even know his name after all.

She refocused on her lecture notes, trying to make sense of her scribbled short hand.

‘Oh, fucking hell!’ Finan swore as he watched his coffee spread across the table, thankfully missing the borrowed library books. Sighing he stood the knocked coffee cup back up and began soaking up the liquid with the tissues he had in his pocket.

‘Here use this,’ came a female voice behind him, as they handed him a roll of paper towels.

‘Thanks,’ he muttered, taking the roll from her and mopping up the mess he had made. He glanced up and realised the woman standing next to him was Eadith, ‘Oh, hello again.’

‘Hey,’ she replied, smiling slightly. ‘Today seems to be going really well for you,’ she added sarcastically.

‘Ha, you could say that,’ he chuckled in reply. He finished wiping up his desk and tossed the used paper towels into a nearby bin. ‘How about you? Had any more disasters?’

‘Apart from my hangover and running into one of my atrocious ex’s, no not really.’

‘Well the hangover was ya’ own fault.’

‘True,’ she admitted, laughing slightly.

‘I’m Finan, by the way.’

‘Eadith.’ She smiled brightly, looking up at him through her eyelashes. ‘Hey, um, here,’ she murmured, writing something on a scrap of paper and sliding it towards him. He looked at her in confusion. ‘It’s my number,’ she said as her smile grew wider, ‘message me sometime. You never know when you might need me to help clear up another one of your messes!’

‘I will,’ he promised, a smile spreading across his face.

‘You better,’ she called back teasingly over her shoulder as she walked away. He couldn’t help but watch her as she left, especially how her long red hair cascaded down her back and how her hips swayed slightly as she went.

Perhaps he did fancy her after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. I had so much fun writing all the different characters. If you are wondering where Osferth is, he'll be in the next chapter don't worry!
> 
> Bonus points to anyone who spotted my shameless Starkid/A Very Potter Sequel reference.


	3. library books and alcohol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again lovelies! This chapter turned out quite a bit longer than the others and is also a bit dialogue heavy, so hopefully you stick with it. You get to learn a bit more about all the characters. 
> 
> I made a mood board for Eadith (all photos from Pinterest) because I got bored and decided why not?
> 
> Note: When they talk about 'football' they are talking about English football (aka Soccer). Five-a-side football is exactly the same as the normal game, except each team has 5 players instead of 11.

It had been two weeks since Eadith had given Finan her number and he still hadn’t messaged her. She wondered if she had been out of her mind – she was not in the habit of giving her number to almost complete strangers. Oh well, what was done was done, she thought. Thankfully she hadn’t run into him again as that would no doubt be embarrassing for both of them.

She made a deep sigh, settling into her seat on the bus, as she scrolled through her phone. Aethelred was not giving up, her phone filled with unread messages and missed calls from him. It didn’t seem to matter how many times she told him no, or ignored him, or insisted that she wasn’t interested. It was driving her insane.

As the bus pulled away, she got out her current book, ‘This Side of Paradise’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and began reading.

She had only had one seminar that day and was glad to be able to go home early. It was only three in the afternoon, but she would probably change into her pyjamas and curl up in bed with a hot chocolate and a good book. If she had her choice, that would be how she would spend every day.

The bus pulled in at the stop adjacent to the library. She was so busy reading her book, she didn’t notice the man who came and sat behind her.

‘Doesn’t that make ya’ travel sick?’

She swivelled round and saw Finan sitting behind her, slightly leaning forward so as to talk to her better. Despite him not texting her, she couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him.

‘No,’ she replied, turning back to face the front as she carried on reading, ‘I always read in the car as a child, I guess I am just used to it.’ A few moments of silence dragged between them. Without turning to look at him, she finally said, ‘you never messaged me.’

‘No, I didn’t,’ she heard him mumble behind her. ‘I was going to, but things got a bit hectic back home and I lost that piece of paper ya’ gave me.’

‘You _lost_ it?’ she repeated, turning to face him with her eyebrows raised.

‘Like I said I had some trouble at home,’ he murmured, avoiding her eye as he turned to look out of the window. Turning back to her with a smile, he said, ‘how about I give you my number, eh? Then you can message me?’

‘Okay…’ she answered, handing over her phone so he could add himself into her contacts. She was still unsure whether she believed his excuse about losing her number, but the fact that he had chosen to sit behind her suggested he wasn’t trying to avoid her.

‘What have you been up to since I last saw ya’?’ he asked, glancing up from her phone.

‘Not much. I’ve started writing a novel, but I doubt I’ll get very far.’

‘Why’s that, then?’

‘I always start them, but I never finish them. I either get bored or I decide that it isn’t very good and give up.’

‘You need to believe in yourself more.’ He gave back her phone, his contact added. ‘I’m sure your novels would be brilliant if you gave yourself half a chance.’

She looked up at him rather embarrassed. No one had ever really expressed an interest in her novel writing before, yet alone being encouraging of it. Skade and Aelfled couldn’t care less, Aethelred had said it was a waste of time, and her brother, Eardwulf, had told her she was too stupid to ever write anything interesting.

‘I doubt anyone would want to read it.’

‘I would,’ he replied immediately.

‘You don’t even know what it’s about. You are just being kind.’

‘I might be being kind to ya’ but I’d still like to read it. You seem like an interesting person, I’m sure you have lots of interesting things to write about.’

‘Thank you,’ she stammered, cheeks blushing. She wasn’t used to having such nice compliments; Aethelred had only ever complimented her on her looks, whilst Guthred had barely complimented her at all. Even if Finan was only being nice and didn’t mean it, she was still thankful that he would say it at all.

‘What about you? Have you been keeping busy?’

Eadith’s book was soon discarded and forgotten as the two of them began talking about everything from their uni courses to their favourite foods and movies. It turned out they both had a love of Edgar Wright films, although a heated debate had arisen when Eadith argued that ‘Baby Driver’ was better than Finan’s favourite, ‘Shaun of the Dead’. Talking to Finan seemed easy, natural, causing the twenty-minute journey to fly by and before they knew it, they had reached their stop. Eadith thought she could’ve talked to the Irishman all day.

As they exited the bus, she noticed the huge the pile of books Finan was carrying. His large muscles flexing in his arms as he readjusted the weight, trying to get them into a more comfortable position to carry.

‘Do you want me to carry some of those?’

‘I’m fine, don’t worry I’ve got them,’ he replied defensively, still struggling to get the books into a comfortable position.

‘I’m not insulting your masculinity. I know you are capable of managing on your own but that doesn’t mean that you have to,’ she pointed out, raising her eyebrows at him. ‘Where do you live?’

‘Mercia Drive.’

‘See! That’s only one street over from where I live. It won’t be any trouble at all to help you carry them.’ It was actually three streets over and a bit out of her way, but he didn’t need to know that.

He studied her for a moment before nodding. He placed about a third of the books in her arms and smiled at her appreciatively.

‘How come you have so many?’ she asked, frowning down at the large number of books they were carrying between them. ‘You do know you could just work in the library and not have this problem?’

Finan took a moment before answering, seemingly trying to decide what to say. ‘I have to stay at home over the weekend, it’s easier if I just get them all in one go.’

They came to a stop outside a house which she assumed was Finan’s. After handing over her share of books, they stood awkwardly for a moment.

‘I, um, I’ll text you,’ Eadith eventually managed, turning to go.

‘You better,’ Finan called to her.

She rolled her eyes at him, but a smile pulled at her lips.

\---

It was about half past nine by the time Finan arrived at Uhtred’s and by the sound of the loud music, pres had already got underway. He was welcomed in by Iseult who was wearing a lavender blue dress and her signature Doc Martens. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before leading him to the kitchen where everyone was sitting around the table.

He was pleased to see Osferth and Halig had come. They had been making excuses for not coming out with them for weeks now. It seemed all Uhtred’s pestering had finally paid off.

Osferth and Halig were freshers; they were quieter and more reserved than the rest of them and neither played rugby. They would never have been mates with them ordinarily, but Osferth’s brother, Leofric, had been Uhtred’s best friend at high school and had asked him to keep an eye on the kid for him. They had soon found they liked Osferth, and him and his flatmate, Halig, had started to hang out with them more and more. It also helped that they were both pretty decent at football which meant they now had a relatively good five-a-side team.

‘Look who’s decided to turn up,’ Sihtric said sarcastically.

‘I’m not late, am I?’

‘Not at all,’ Hild replied kindly, ‘sit down and have a drink.’

They set about playing drinking games, laughing at Osferth’s face when he tried a shot of Sihtric’s whiskey. By eleven o’clock, when it was time to head out into town, they were already pretty pissed. Hild and Iseult clung to each other, constantly giggling, after consuming almost three bottles of wine between them. Sihtric and Uhtred were shouting football chants at the top of their lungs after having god knows how much alcohol. Poor Osferth and Halig looked like they were about to collapse, not used to the amounts the third years drank. Only Finan and Gisela remained somewhat sober. Finan had stuck to beer and, although having had rather a few, was in a much better position than the others who seemed to have gone through almost a bottle of vodka between them. Gisela never drank much, only a few ciders – getting drunk never appealed to her.

‘How did we end up friends with these idiots?’ Gisela sighed, resting her head gently on Finan’s shoulder.

‘I dunno, but you’re the one that’s dating one of them.’

She laughed. ‘That’s very true. I did choose to be stuck with that _particular_ idiot.’

A very drunk Osferth came and sat between them, almost falling onto Finan due to his dizziness. ‘Y-you guys are… the best,’ he managed, slurring his words as Finan tried to keep him upright. Finan and Gisela gave each other a look, the latter rolling her eyes.

Finan’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Taking it out, he smiled when he saw Eadith’s name pop up in his notifications. They had been texting each other for the last week, ever since they got the bus back together.

‘Who’s Eadith?’ Osferth asked, reading over his shoulder. At the sound of the woman’s name, Gisela gave him a mischievous grin.

‘Just a friend.’

Gisela shook her head. ‘Eadith is the girl Finan has been _obsessed_ with for the last week,’ she said, giggling as she leaned over to Osferth before whispering, ‘I think Finan here might be in love!’

Finan couldn’t help but go red as Osferth joined in with Gisela’s giggling. ‘I am not! She’s just a friend and I am _not_ obsessed!’

‘Oh, of course not,’ laughed Gisela. ‘What does she want, anyway?’

‘She’s just asking if I’m going out tonight because she might see me in town.’

‘Really? Sounds like a date to me!’ giggled Osferth.

‘Shut it Baby Monk!’

‘Why do you call me that? I am not a baby or a monk?’

‘Judging by that haircut you are!’ Finan teased, ruffling the boy’s hair as he did so – much to Osferth’s annoyance.

‘So, you’re going to meet Eadith?’ Gisela asked.

‘Maybe,’ he admitted. If he was being honest, he couldn’t wait to see her again.

‘I’m glad, you deserve a little bit of romance!’ she teased.

‘It’s not like that,’ Finan insisted.

‘Oh sure, I believe you,’ she answered in a fake serious tone – clearly enjoying this a little too much for Finan’s liking.

They were interrupted as Osferth ran out of the room to find the bathroom. Clearly the excessive amounts of alcohol he had consumed that night did not agree with his stomach.

Sighing, Finan went after him. He had no idea if the poor lad had ever been this drunk before and he didn’t like the thought of him going through it alone. He found Osferth with his head over the toilet, retching violently. He knelt beside him and slowly rubbed his back in a way he hoped was soothing.

‘Here,’ Gisela came up the stairs and handed him a glass of water, which Finan encouraged Osferth to drink. ‘Halig isn’t much better.’

‘I don’t think we’re the greatest of examples,’ Finan laughed.

‘They’re at uni – what uni experience is complete without spending a night in a toilet throwing up drunk?’

‘True,’ he admitted. ‘I’ll stay, make sure they don’t choke on their own vomit or something.’

‘I, I’m… I’m fine,’ Osferth stammered, not wanting to spoil his friends’ evenings.

‘Sure you are,’ Finan said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as Osferth retched violently again. ‘I’m staying with you, end of discussion.’

Gisela crossed her arms, giving him a stern look. ‘It’s not your job to look after everyone, Finan! You don’t have to act like a grown up around us, you’re a uni student just like the rest of us. You deserve to have fun as much as anyone.’ She put her arm around him. ‘Go and have some fun. Text Eadith and say you’ll met her! I’ll stay with these idiots.’

‘Won’t Uhtred miss you?’

‘I’ll make it up to him,’ she replied with a glint in her eye. Finan had an idea Uhtred would be doing a lot of “studying” when they got back.

Shaking his head a little, he finally agreed to go with the others whilst Gisela stayed. Whilst on the crowded bus with Uhtred, Sihtric, Hild and Iseult, he got his phone out and messaged Eadith to meet him.

The Dunholm Arms was already packed when they arrived. It was the most popular pub among students, mainly due to its close location to the main clubs and its cheap prices, meaning it was always near impossible to get a table. However, when your brother owns the pub you tend to receive special treatment, so Uhtred nearly always managed to find them somewhere to sit, no matter how busy it got.

Finan volunteered to go and order the first round of drinks. Erik was on the bar and greeted him warmly.

‘Enjoying your night off?’

‘Yeah, it ain’t too bad. How’s business been tonight?’

‘Busy but there’s been no trouble.’ Erik set to work pouring their drinks. ‘Is it just you guys, or are other people joining you?’ he asked suddenly nervous.

‘Aethelflaed’s not coming,’ Finan answered with a smirk, Erik was just as in love with Aethelflaed as she was with him.

‘What! I never said anything about Aethelflaed! Why would I care if she came or not?’

Finan only rolled his eyes, they were both so oblivious it hurt. He was just getting his card out to pay for the drinks when a voice stopped him.

‘I will pay for your drinks.’ He turned to see Eadith leaning against the bar, her face lighting up as her eyes met with his. ‘In return,’ she continued, ‘you might like to save me from the arsehole who’s coming up behind me.’

Finan stared at her for a moment, finding it hard to look away, before glancing behind her to see Aethelred moving in their direction.

‘Better add a vodka orange onto that order, Erik,’ turning back to the barman, after giving Eadith a quick wink.

Aethelred arrived just as Eadith was paying for the drinks. Putting a protective arm around her waist, drawing her closer to his body, Finan turned to address the weasel shit that was now hovering next to them.

‘You must be Aethelred?’ he asked politely, ‘I hear you’re a friend of Eadith’s?’

‘Who are you?’ he demanded.

‘This is Finan and there is no need to be rude,’ Eadith snapped back at him.

‘Well I’m here now, so why don’t you have a drink with me?’

‘No.’ Eadith answered, her voice like stone.

‘No? What do you mean no?’

‘She means, no,’ Finan growled, his accent getting thicker as the anger began rising inside of him.

‘You just can’t take a hint, can you? I don’t want to have a drink with you, Aethelred, and I certainly don’t want to sleep with you! I’ve put up with this for long enough, I’ve tried to be polite, but the truth is you are insufferable, and I cannot believe I ever went out with you!’ Aethelred looked like he had been slapped in the face. He stood their gawping at the two of them, his mouth opening and closing silently like a fish out of water. Finan had to concentrate to keep a straight face. ‘I am going to have a drink with Finan and if you have a problem with that, you’ll just have to deal with it.’ At Eadith’s words, Aethelred’s face began turning purple. He looked like he wanted to punch them both in the face.

‘Cause any trouble and I’ll get you banned from this place for the rest of your sorry excuse for a life.’ Finan stepped forward, putting himself between Aethelred and Eadith. This seemed to do the trick, Aethelred deciding it wasn’t worth the effort and storming from the pub.

‘Thank you for that,’ she sighed, placing her hand lightly on his arm.

‘What for? I think you handled that pretty well by yourself.’

She glanced down embarrassed. ‘You gave me the confidence to stand up to him,’ she said with a nervous smile. ‘You made me feel, safe – like it was going to be okay. Is that weird?’

‘Not at all,’ he smiled, a warm feeling growing in his chest.

They left the bar to join Uhtred and the others, carefully carrying the trays of drinks between them. As they approached the table, Hild wiggled her eyebrows at him and Uhtred gave him a smirk after catching sight of Eadith.

Eadith slid onto the bench next to Iseult, Finan following her. A chorus of greetings and thanks for the drinks echoed around the table as he introduced Eadith to his friends.

‘Are you all in third year, like Finan?’

‘Everyone except me, I’m second year,’ answered Sihtric.

‘Me too.’ Eadith gave him a smile. ‘What are you all studying?’

Uhtred answered for all of them. ‘I do History, Hild does Philosophy, Sihtric’s Psychology and Iseult’s Medicine.’

‘Medicine, wow!’ Eadith exclaimed, turning to Iseult next to her, ‘you must be super clever to do that. How many years is your course?’

‘Five here, but I’ll have plenty more years training even after I graduate before I’m qualified.’

‘What about you?’ Hild chimed in. ‘What are you studying?’

‘English Literature.’

‘Oh, how wonderful! I did English Lit at A Level, I really loved it! What sort of authors are you into?’ Hild asked excitedly.

‘Oh, no, here we go!’ Iseult interrupted, rolling her eyes. ‘We’ll be here all night talking about dreary old, dead poets.’

‘Just because you are uncultured doesn’t mean everyone else is!’ Hild countered, giving Iseult a playful punch in the arm.

‘Eadith is actually an author herself,’ Finan proudly told his friends.

‘Really that’s so cool!’

Eadith glared at him. ‘He exaggerates. I write as a hobby but it’s not any good,’ she explained to Hild.

‘I’m sure that’s not true – you’ll have to send me some to read!’

‘Alright enough with the boring talk, let’s get onto the real questions,’ Uhtred interrupted, banging his, now empty, glass on the table. ‘So, Eadith.’ He paused, staring at her intently. ‘Do you like sports?’

Eadith let out a laugh, she had honestly not known what to expect. ‘Yes, I do in fact. I used to compete at quite a few sports when I was younger, mainly swimming and athletics, but not anymore. I go to the gym quite a bit though.’

‘I didn’t know that!’ Finan said, a grin on his face.

‘You never asked,’ Eadith teased, eyeing him from over the rim of her glass. ‘Do you swim?’

‘I do.’

‘No you don’t!’ Shitric laughed, ignoring the death stare Finan was giving him from across the table.

‘I haven’t been _recently_ , but I’m actually quite good at it, I’ll have you know. I bet I’m a better swimmer than any of you idiots here!’

‘Then prove it,’ Eadith challenged, a smirk on her face. ‘I go swimming every Wednesday afternoon, come with me and we’ll see if you are as good as you say you are.’

Finan looked around the table to see his friends grinning at him, Eadith with a triumphant look on her face. ‘Fine, maybe I will.’

‘I’d like to see that, ow!’ Uhtred swore as Finan kicked his shins under the table. ‘Do you like rugby or football, Eadith?’ he continued, ignoring the glare his friend was giving him.

‘I watch quite a bit of football, but I don’t know that much about rugby, why do you play?’

‘We play in a uni five-a-side league and all three of us are on the rugby team.’

‘You never told me that!’ She laughed, turning to Finan. She would have thought being on the rugby team would be something boys would like to brag about. He only shrugged in response.

‘So? How did you two meet?’ Iseult giggled.

‘Finan served me at the bar.’

‘More like you got drunk and told me all about your disastrous dating history!’ Finan corrected her with a smirk.

‘Well at least I didn’t spill my coffee over half the library!’

‘Aw, you guys are so cute,’ Iseult said, smiling sweetly at the two of them. ‘It took me nearly a year to get this one to go out with me!’ nudging Hild in the arm.

‘You gave me very mixed messages – I thought you were into Uhtred!’

‘What the hell gave you that idea?’

‘Well, you did make out with him!’

‘Twice,’ interrupted Uhtred, a very smug look on his face for which he received a smack in the arm from Iseult. ‘I think we need more drinks – I’ll get this round.’ Laughing as he avoided another smack from Iseult as he got up.

The rest of the night went by in a flash, the group of friends drinking and laughing until they thought they would burst. Eadith quickly realised that she liked Finan’s friends; they made her feel welcome and included like no one else had. She found herself laughing at Finan’s jokes, being drawn into Uhtred’s stories, having deep conversations about literature with Hild, discussing Doctor Who with Sihtric, and talking about clothes with Iseult. It was the most fun she had, had in ages – she couldn’t remember the last time she had smiled this much.

At about half past one in the morning, Uhtred, Hild, Iseult and Sihtric decided to go to one of the popular local clubs, Valhalla. Finan, however, said he needed to get back home as he had to be up early the next morning. Eadith, not being the biggest fan of clubbing anyway, decided to call it a night as well.

They split the taxi fare between them, getting the driver to drop them off along the main road, leaving them to walk to their respective houses. Finan had insisted he accompany her to her door to make sure she got back safe; Eadith had rolled her eyes at this act of gallantry but had let him all the same.

When they arrived at her door there was an awkward silence for several minutes, both not wanting the night to end. They stood only a few feet apart, Eadith looking up at him through her eyelashes. A nervous smile flashing across her face.

Finan cupped her face gently, feeling the warmth of her skin against his cold hands. They stood staring into each other’s eyes for a moment, Eadith’s breath catching in her throat as butterflies went to her stomach.

‘I had a really nice night,’ he said gently, a smile creeping across his face.

‘Me too,’ Eadith replied, barely above a whisper as she got lost in his deep, dark brown eyes. ‘It’s the most fun I’ve had in ages. Your friends are so great.’

‘They are,’ he agreed, ‘I’m glad you like them.’ She hummed in agreement. He still cupped her face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs across her cheeks slightly. Eadith shivered, although Finan didn’t think it was from the cold. He leant forward slightly and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead, feeling the warmth of her breath on his neck, which sparked his skin to prickle with goosebumps.

He stood back, a wide smile lighting up his face as he gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

‘Good night, Finan,’ she whispered, reaching for his hand and taking it in hers.

‘Night, Eadith.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of, both Eadith and Finan are wrong: the best Edgar Wright film is clearly Hot Fuzz!
> 
> Second, writing this is making me sad as I miss being able to go on nights out with my friends - damn COVID!
> 
> Third, I'm trying to include versions of scenes from the show where I can - for example, Eadith offering to pay for Finan's drinks. Hopefully you'll get a kick out of that.
> 
> Fourth, someone suggested that Osferth could be Eadith's best friend on the previous chapter. I had already written Osferth's bit by then but it's made me plan to put extra Osferth/Eadith scenes in later chapters, so thanks for that ❤ Feedback and ideas always welcome x


	4. swimming, hot chocolate & an awkward moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello once again! First off, thanks for all the kind comments - it means a lot x
> 
> I realised that I'm terrible at flirting (both in real life and in writing, lol) so decided the easiest thing was to write from experience - hence all the swimming stuff. Eadith in the first half of this chapter is very much based on me 😅🤷
> 
> Don't think there's anything non-Brits would get confused on but feel free to ask in comments if there is x 
> 
> I'm also enjoying making mood boards for all the characters, this time its Iseult.

It had seemed like such a good idea at the time – Eadith blamed the alcohol. Now, standing outside the university sports centre, swim gear in hand, she was seriously doubting the idea.

Eadith had swam for most of her life, starting to learn when she was just four years old. For over ten years it had been her life, spending every moment she wasn’t sleeping or doing schoolwork at the pool. Growing up, being around half naked guys in just a swimsuit had been normal; Eadith had never even really thought about it, having known the guys since they were little. Stinking of chlorine, smudged makeup, unshaved legs and red faces had been an everyday occurrence and no one gave a shit – certainly not Eadith. However today seemed different. For the first time in years, Eadith felt nervous about someone seeing her in her costume.

She hadn’t been able to get Finan out of head; she could still feel the warmth of his hand against her skin as he had cupped her cheek and the way his touch had sent shivers down her spine. It had become painfully clear that she liked him – _really_ liked him, which was her second problem. Finan was attractive, like _crazy_ attractive, with large muscular chest and shoulders from years of playing rugby and going to the gym. She could hardly keep her eyes of him when he was fully clothed – what was going to happen when she saw him half naked and dripping wet?

She was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of her name being called. Turning to see the handsome form of Finan approaching her, his now familiar lopsided grin plastered across his face, all her doubts and worries seemed to dissipate in her mind.

They went into the sports centre, swiping their membership cards to get through the turnstiles at the entrance. They took adjacent changing cubicles, getting into their swim gear – Eadith couldn’t help but blush at the idea of Finan being naked only a few inches away from her.

She heard Finan’s door open. Finishing packing her clothes into her bag she opened her own door to see Finan standing with his back to her, shoving his belongings into a locker. She couldn’t help but run her eyes up and down his perfect body, taking in just _how_ hot he was.

He turned to face her. Eadith immediately felt her cheeks darken as she made a conscious effort to keep her eyes on his face and not devour his body like they wanted to. His eyes took her in, running over her body, before snapping to her face – he suddenly seemed rather embarrassed. Eadith laughed; it seemed they were both struggling to keep their composure.

‘Are you ready to be thoroughly humiliated by my superior swimming ability?’ she asked with a cocky smile, trying to lighten the tension that had spread between them.

It seemed to work as his signature grin returned to his face. ‘Oh aye, someone’s going to be humiliated today, but it won’t be me.’ Their playful teasing and jibing continued as they walked to the end of the pool. It was always nearly deserted at this time of the day, most people being either at work or at school, meaning they had a lane to themselves. ‘Do ya’ need help putting that on?’ he asked her, glancing at her swim hat.

‘Do I look like a child to you?’ she retorted, raising her eyebrows at him before expertly putting the hat on in one smooth motion. After ten years, you perfect the technique of fitting all your hair into a tight rubber swim hat and putting it on in a somewhat dignified manner. 

They lowered themselves into the pool. Pulling her goggles down onto her face, Eadith pushed herself off the wall and began to swim a gentle freestyle, leaving Finan behind her. They swam up and down for about twenty minutes, occasionally stopping for a drink or to offer the other a sarcastic comment. It turned out Finan was indeed a decent swimmer, although it was clear that he had never trained properly. His technique was adequate but not very refined, making far too much splash and requiring more energy than necessary – something she repeatedly informed him of, much to his annoyance.

Eadith had always been competitive. As their swim session drew on, she couldn’t help but show off, doing a couple of lengths of the hard butterfly stroke just to prove to him that she could. It had almost killed her (she was nowhere near as fit as she used to be and fly is _hard_ ) but it was totally worth the effort when she watched Finan try, and woefully fail, to copy her – he looked like a drowning cat. She could also see that he was tiring much faster than she was, something she was all too happy to point out to him.

‘Tired?’ she asked with an innocent expression, ‘perhaps you ought to take a break? It must be hard to keep up with a _real_ swimmer.’

Although clearly finding it hard to breath, Finan was not going to back down – it seemed he was as stubborn and competitive as she was. ‘Oh, I think you’ll find I can keep going just as long as you can.’

‘Are we still talking about swimming or are you referring to something else?’ she shot back with a mischievous smirk across her face. She watched in delight as his eyes widened and his cheeks began to darken as he realised what she was inferring. She didn’t wait to hear his response, submerging herself in the water as she pushed off the wall.

Eventually they agreed to stop and made their way to the changing rooms. Eadith grabbed the bottle of shampoo out of her bag and made towards the showers like she always did, Finan following close behind her. There was only one shower cubicle not occupied. Sighing deeply as the hot water hit her skin, she looked up to see Finan hovering awkwardly in the doorway.

‘Don’t you want a shower?’

‘There aren’t any not being used.’

‘Share this one,’ she called to him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her and her teammates always used to share showers after training, it had become second nature.

‘W-what?’ he stammered, his eyes widening.

‘Share this one with me,’ she repeated, enjoying watching his discomfort. ‘I keep my suit on, you idiot! Now get in here.’

Laughing she dragged him in the shower with her, their bodies incredibly close as they rinsed the chlorine off their bodies. Eadith was very aware of how Finan’s eyes hadn’t left her for the whole duration of the shower, but she found she didn’t mind at all.

After they got changed, they walked to a small coffee shop a few streets away that Eadith knew made the best hot chocolates in town. She explained to him how hot chocolate was her favourite thing in the world and how she had spent the majority of her first year going around the city from coffee shop to coffee shop, trying to find out which was the best.

‘So, what makes this coffee shop so special?’

‘Well,’ she began, glancing over at him as she spoke, ‘the hot chocolate is super creamy and comes with a ton of cream and marshmallows, the cakes are all homemade and absolutely delicious, the lady who runs it is super friendly, and it doubles as a second hand book shop so of course I never want to leave!’

To her surprise, Finan didn’t seem to think her obsession with hot chocolate was sad at all and seemed genuinely interested to hear what she thought of other coffee chains around the city. After ordering their drinks, (Eadith got a hot chocolate with all the trimmings, obviously) they found a table in the corner, next to a window. They sat for a while, falling into the comfortable, easy conversation she was becoming used to associating with Finan.

They laughed about some of the events from the other night and Finan delighted in recounting all of Uhtred and Sihtric’s previous drunken antics. Before long Eadith had a stitch from laughing so much. They also laughed at the memory of Aethelred’s shocked face after she had rejected him, and she burst out laughing when Finan compared him to a fish.

‘What was that dickhead’s problem?’

‘He just wants what he always wants: to get back with me – or at least sleep me, whether or not he wants to date me is a different matter.’

‘And you don’t want to – date him I mean?’

She stared at him, surprised that he even needed to ask. ‘Of course not!’ She wanted to add that she would much rather go out with him, but she decided against it – after all, saying she preferred him over Aethelred wasn’t much of a compliment. ‘I’ve told him no a thousand times over, but he won’t listen.’

‘He’s a real arsehole, isn’t he?’

She laughed bitterly. _Oh, he had no idea_. ‘He’s a possessive, obsessive, spoilt prick who has never been denied anything in his life.’

‘Is he still pestering you? Even after the other night?’

‘What do you think?’ Eadith asked bitterly. ‘I blocked his number and deleted him from all my social media, but of course, that doesn’t stop him talking to me at uni – honestly avoiding him is becoming exhausting!’

‘I can make him stop.’ His words were sharp, his voice a low growl. There was no smile on his lips or glint in his eye, only anger. It chilled Eadith slightly, to see a man she had only ever seen as jovial and friendly look like he could murder someone that very instant.

‘It’s fine,’ she said quickly, ‘making him angry will not help things and nor will threatening him.’

Eadith had managed to steer the conversation back to something more light-hearted, but Finan’s concerned look remained. At quarter to three Finan checked his watch and apologised that he had to be somewhere and couldn’t stay any longer. He didn’t explain where he was going but that wasn’t unusual – Eadith was starting to get used to his vague answers when it came to his home life.

‘Hey, are you free tonight?’ he asked suddenly as he was about to leave.

‘I might be.’

‘Well, Uhtred’s having a load of people over to watch the match tonight and have a few beers. It would be great to have you there.’

‘Maybe,’ Eadith replied teasingly. She knew very well that she was free and that she wanted nothing more than to spend time with Finan and his friends, but she wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.

‘Okay, text me once you decide and then we can go together.’

With that he grabbed his bag, gave Eadith a quick kiss on the cheek and ran out the door to get to wherever he needed to be.

\---

Although it was just a casual evening watching football, Eadith had put some effort into her appearance – she told herself it was because she wanted to make a good first impression with the rest of Finan’s friends, but it was really because she wanted to impress Finan. She had straitened her hair (it had been super frizzy after going swimming), pulling the top section back in a braid, and had taken her time to do her makeup properly.

Finan knocked on her door at around half past five, leaving them plenty of time to get to Uhtred’s before the six o’clock kick off. He had smiled broadly when she had opened the door and she had gone incredibly shy when he told her she looked ‘stunning’. They had made small talk as they walked to the bus stop. It was crazy to think that only a few weeks earlier, her and Finan had been swearing about missing their bus as almost complete strangers.

Uhtred opened the door when they got to the house, pulling Finan into a huge hug. They embraced each other like brothers, the familiarity and warmth between the two men unmissable. Inside they were greeted by Hild, followed by Iseult, who, much to the surprise of Eadith, pulled her into a crushing hug.

‘Let the poor girl breath,’ Hild sighed, shaking her head slightly at her girlfriend. ‘It’s great to see you again!’ she told Eadith with a kind smile after Iseult had released her.

‘It’s nice of you for having me,’ Eadith replied politely.

‘Oh, it’s nothing! Any friend of Finan’s is a friend of ours. You’ll always be welcome.’ A warm feeling built in Eadith’s chest at Hild’s kind words. It seemed so alien for people to be so welcoming of her.

She was introduced to Gisela, a modern foreign languages student who was Uhtred’s girlfriend and Isuelt’s best friend. She greeted Eadith with a bright smile, complimenting her hair, before slapping Finan in the arm.

‘What was that for?’ he grumbled, rubbing the part of his arm she had hit.

‘You never told me she was beautiful!’

Eadith felt her cheeks flush, but she bet it was nothing compared to the colour Finan’s were going.

‘I, er –‘

‘And Uhtred never said how stunning his girlfriend was,’ Eadith interrupted, attempting to alleviate some of Finan’s embarrassment.

‘Oh really? I may have a few words to say to him about that!’ Gisela teased, a laugh escaping from her lips. ‘Honestly though, it’s so great to finally meet you, Finan has spoken of little else for weeks!’

Eadith looked to Finan with her eyebrows raised. What exactly had he been telling all his friends about her? He looked completely embarrassed and quickly suggested they went to find a seat in the living room. Eadith and Finan sat on the sofa nearest the kitchen, squeezing themselves next to two freshers who were introduced to her as Osferth, a philosophy student, and Halig, who was studying Geography. She found that she enjoyed their company greatly, especially the quiet and considered Osferth. Sihtric and his girlfriend, Ealhswith, a second year Psychology student like her boyfriend, came in soon after and sat on the large armchair opposite them.

‘What made you study English Literature?’ Osferth asked her, seeming genuinely interested.

‘I love reading. I love writing. I love books. It just seemed the perfect fit – it’s all I’ve ever wanted to study,’ she replied with a smile. ‘What about you? Why Philosophy?’

‘I don’t know. Philosophy allows us a greater understanding of the world around us, it’s about looking at life and questioning everything about it. I love understanding things, why things are the way things are. I guess that’s why. I just find it interesting.’

Eadith was impressed at his thoughtful answer, it made her embarrassed by her simple one. ‘I think through literature we can also understand a lot about life and the world we live in. A piece always reflects the author, their view of the world and what they want to say about it, whether they mean to or not.’

Eadith and Osfreth continued their discussion on literature and philosophy until Sihtric told them to shut up because the match was about to start. By this point she was feeling extremely content. She had a can of fruit cider in her hand, was surrounded by kind, friendly faces, and at some point Finan’s arm had found itself lightly around her waist.

‘Sorry we’re late, the bloody taxi took forever to arrive!’ came a familiar voice as two late arrivals entered the room. Eadith’s stomach fell at the sight of them. There stood Aethelflaed, Aethelred’s ex-girlfriend who no doubt hated her guts for sleeping with her boyfriend. Aethelflaed spotted Ealswith and began walking towards her, stopping abruptly in the middle of the room as her eyes fell on Eadith.

Eadith stood up slowly. If Aethelflaed wanted to start a fight, she wanted to be at the same eye level as her. Finan’s face fell as he suddenly realised the situation, standing up as well and putting a protective arm around her waist.

‘Eadith, what a surprise to see you here.’ Aethelflaed’s words were polite but her tone was cold and sharp, her eyes filled with suspicion.

‘Finan invited me,’ Eadith replied with a tight smile, ‘it is a pleasure to meet you at last.’ A few moments of silence dragged out between them. The match had started; however, no one had seemed to notice. The tension in the room was thick, everyone holding their breath, Finan looking increasingly uncomfortable.

‘Aldhelm,’ Eadith addressed the man standing next to Aethelflaed, ‘how are your ribs?’

‘They are fully healed,’ he answered politely with a slight bow of his head, ‘thank you for asking.’

Finan looked at her in confusion, obviously unaware of what they were referring to. The last time Eadith had seen Aldhelm had been when she was still with Aethelred, shortly after his break-up with Aethelflaed. Aldhelm had taken Aethelflaed’s side, much to Aethelred’s displeasure. A fight had broken out, resulting in Aldhelm cracking a few ribs and Aethelred breaking his nose.

The tension was still high in the room and it was making everyone uncomfortable. Eadith was grateful to have been invited and welcomed by this group of people and she wasn’t about to return that kindness by ruining everyone’s evening. ‘Aethelflaed, would I be able to speak to you alone for a moment?’ A shocked silence followed. After a slow nod, the two women left the crowded living room and stood awkwardly in the hallway. ‘There are a few things I would like to say.’ She paused to make sure Aethelflaed was listening. ‘I didn’t know that you were going out with Aethelred. It was never my intention to hurt you. If it means anything, I really regret it – it was a terrible decision, one of the many I have made.’ Aethelflaed looked shocked at the admission. Eadith continued, ‘I do not care if you forgive me, but I do care about Finan – a lot. You are his friend and I don’t want to make things awkward for him, so if we could try and be civil and at least pretend that everything’s okay between us, for Finan’s sake, then I would be grateful.’

Aethelflaed stood as still as a statue, regarding Eadith suspiciously. Clearly weighing what she wanted to say, several moments of silence followed. ‘I see no reason why we have to make this difficult,’ she finally said, looking Eadith straight in the eyes, ‘I also care about Finan and I also don’t want to make things awkward for him.’

Eadith breathed in a sigh of relief and they returned to the others. They sat on opposite sides of the room for the whole match, doing a great job of ignoring each other. After a while Eadith almost forgot that she was there. This was mainly due to Finan’s strong arms being wrapped around her for the whole ninety-minute game, the heat of his body seeping through his clothes as she was pressed close to him. Sihtric had sworn loudly when his team didn’t win, but Eadith was so at ease and content in Finan’s arms, she had been barely watching the events on TV. She could have stayed like that forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Believe it or not, showering in only a swim suit with guys was perfectly normal for me throughout my teens. I also had the experience of going swimming for a sort-of-date type thing.
> 
> We got a little Eadith/Osferth but they'll be plenty more to come.
> 
> I actually really like Aethelflaed as a character (don't like her with Uhtred, though) and I hope I didn't make her out to be too much of a bitch? But it's always going to be awkward being around the girl your boyfriend cheated on you with, no matter how nice a person you are. Plus they weren't exactly best friends in the show either.
> 
> Until next time x


	5. confused feelings & snowball fights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! ❤❤❤
> 
> A little bit of trivia: tuition at most English universities is between £9000-9250 a year. Most people pay by loans from the government. (not important for the plot but just in case non-Brits are curious) x
> 
> We get Aethelwold in this chapter - I had to put him in somewhere he is one of my favourite characters!

A couple of weeks had passed since she had gone round Uhtred’s to watch the football match. To her delight, Eadith had begun to spend most of her free time with Finan and her new friends. Finan had been busy most evenings, but she had been invited to Uhtred’s for dinner several times regardless. Hild, Iseult and Gisela were fast becoming her best friends, insisting she hang out and study with them. She had also been spending some time with Osferth, she found his presence calming and he was easy to talk to; they often sat together in the library or met up for a coffee. She saw Finan most days during the week, meeting up for lunch. They either grabbed something to eat just the two of them or went to Uhtred’s house to spend a few hours with the others.

Today neither Eadith or Finan had a long enough break between classes to do something proper for lunch, so she had grabbed a meal deal from Tesco’s and headed to meet him. She found him lounging on the steps of King Alfred Square with Uhtred, they were sat listening to a small man she didn’t recognise. Judging by the looks on their faces, they didn’t like him much.

‘You know it! I know it! Hell, the whole uni knows it!’ shouted the man standing in front of her two friends, gesturing widely with his hands to illustrate his point. ‘You must take this opportunity – take what is rightfully yours! We have both been terribly cheated-‘

‘Should I hit him?’ Finan growled, clearly fed up with the conversation.

‘Oh, yes by all means hit me!’ retorted the man, ‘but that won’t change the facts that we both know to be true!’

‘Yes, hit him.’ Uhtred replied dryly. Finan got up, causing the smaller man to jump back in fright. Uhtred and Finan smirked, looking pleased with themselves.

‘Who’s your friend?’ Eadith enquired, sitting down beside Finan on the steps.

‘My name is Aethelwold,’ he replied, giving her an uncomfortable, sleezy grin. ‘Now, _as I was saying_ …’

‘Uhtred, I’m tired of listening to this squirrel’s arse!’ groaned Finan as Aethelwold began another rant.

‘Don’t you have anyone else to annoy?’

After Aethelwold had finally left, Eadith got out her lunch and looked at the two men expectantly. It turned out that Aethelwold was trying to get Uhtred, who he had known in high school, to sabotage the captain of the rugby team in training so that he could take his place.

‘Why does Aethelwold want Uhtred to be captain?’ Eadith asked, confused.

‘Because Steapa, the current captain, hates him and won’t let him on the team. He thinks that if Uhtred’s captain, he’ll let him play.’

‘Which I would not,’ snorted Uhtred. ‘Even if I was captain, I wouldn’t let him on the pitch – he’s absolutely crap at rugby!’

Eadith drew herself closer to Finan, leaning into his body, as she listened to the two men joke about Aethelwold’s abysmal athletic ability. She loved just being with Finan, it didn’t matter if they were talking or not, just being physically near him made her feel safe and warm inside.

Finan and Uhtred left to get to their rugby practice, leaving Eadith alone on the steps eating her lunch. After a few minutes she heard a familiar voice behind her. ‘Osferth!’

‘Hello Eadith. Do you mind if I eat my lunch with you?’ he asked politely, a small smile on his face.

‘Of course not! Please sit!’ She patted the space next to her. ‘How have you been?’

‘Good, thank you – although very busy. I knew uni would be hard work, but I never thought that it would be _this_ much work,’ he sighed. He looked exhausted.

Eadith chuckled. ‘At least you’re getting your money’s worth – you don’t pay nine grand a year to sit around and do nothing.’

‘True,’ he said, smiling. ‘How about you? How have you been since I last saw you?’

‘Good,’ Edaith replied, returning his smile. ‘I’m enjoying my course and I’m enjoying having some new friends, too.’

‘And enjoying spending time with Finan, I bet,’ he added, a cheeky grin across his face. She hit him lightly on his arm but said nothing. ‘What is it?’ he asked, genuine concern in his voice.

‘Nothing,’ she sighed. Osferth gave her a look – he knew something was wrong. ‘I don’t know. I just can’t seem to figure Finan out; most of the time he seems like he just wants to be friends, but sometimes he acts like he wants something more.’ Although they had met for lunch nearly every day for the past two weeks, she couldn’t help but notice that they hadn’t been on an official date yet. He’d also never kissed her, not properly; he’d kissed her forehead, her cheek, the top of her head, but never on the lips. These kisses could be totally platonic, Iseult and Gisela greeted Finan with a kiss on the cheek all the time, but something in the way he looked at her made her think he wanted them to mean something more.

‘Do _you_ want something more?’

‘I don’t know,’ Eadith answered honestly. She liked Finan a lot, but she was still unsure about getting into another relationship – not after her previous disasters. Osferth nodded to show his understanding.

‘I’m sure everything will work out,’ he said with a reassuring smile, giving her hand a squeeze. She hoped he was right.

\---

‘How’s everything with you, Eadith?’ Gisela asked, as they walked down the street towards the church.

‘Good, thanks.’

‘I notice you’re spending a lot of time with Finan,’ she added, one eyebrow raised.

‘Well, he’s nice to spend time with,’ Eadith answered. Gisela simply hummed at her response.

‘He’s in love with you.’

‘W-what?’ Eadith stammered, her heart skipping a beat. ‘What makes you say that?’

‘Because it’s obvious!’ Gisela cried, giving her a huge smile. ‘You are all he talks about and I’ve never seen him look at anyone else the way he looks at you.’

Eadith could feel her cheeks darkening. She wanted what Gisela said to be true, but somehow she couldn’t let herself believe her. ‘I think you are mistaken. He hasn’t even asked me out on a proper date!’

Gisela sighed heavily, stopping just outside the church and turning to face her. ‘Eadith,’ she said, very seriously, ‘Finan has been hurt in the past, badly. He might seem super confident and sure of himself but he’s actually really insecure. My advice is that if you want to go out with him, just ask him! Otherwise it’ll take him half a year before he gets enough courage to ask you out.’

Eadith nodded, but she was still not convinced.

‘There you are!’ cried Iseult as Eadith and Gisela stepped into the church. ‘Hurry up – people are already starting to arrive!’

Father Beocca, a local priest and Uhtred’s brother in law, ran weekly soup kitchens every Sunday for the homeless at his church, helped by his wife, Thyra, and Hild. Iseult and Gisela often came to help as well and Eadith had volunteered to come with them. Hild, Iseult and Thyra had already finished cooking the stew; Eadith and Gisela were simply there to help to serve.

Thyra turned out to be one of the nicest people Eadith had ever met. She had a pure kind of joy that radiated from her. She also shared Eadith’s love for classic novels, having a long conversation with her and Hild about Jane Austen and Mary Shelley. Father Beocca was equally as kind and gentle as his wife, smiling warmly and offering kind words to every person who entered the church.

After everyone had been fed, their attention turned to clearing up. Thyra and Beocca set about cleaning the tables as Iseult swept the floor. Once all the dirty plates and cutlery had been collected, Gisela, Hild and Eadith began the washing up. It didn’t take long for Gisela to return to their previous topic of conversation.

‘I’m telling you the truth!’ Gisela insisted as Eadith once again told her she didn’t believe her. ‘Tell her Hild – tell her I’m right!’

‘She isn’t wrong, Eadith,’ Hild sighed, ‘Finan is completely smitten with you.’

‘And trust us when we say he isn’t the kind of guy that just falls for the first girl he meets.’

Eadith turned away, placing the dried plates back in the cupboard. They had both known Finan for years and if they said he was in love with her she guessed it was probably true. The thought of him liking her like that made her heart flutter but it also made her anxious. ‘I’m still not sure how I feel about him,’ she finally admitted.

Gisela only laughed at that. ‘Oh please, Eadith! You know exactly how you feel about him, you are just too afraid to admit it to yourself. It’s written all over your face whenever you’re in the same room as him.’

Hild nodded in agreement. They were right of course, she knew they were right, but the idea of falling in love with someone scared her. She hadn’t been in love with Aethelred or Guthred, but those breakups had still been painful. What would it be like to have your heart broken by someone you were actually in love with?

‘Think about it,’ Hild told her kindly, placing a reassuring hand on her arm. ‘You don’t want to end up like Aethelflaed and Erik!’

‘What does that mean?’ Eadith asked intrigued.

‘Aethelflaed has been completely in love with this guy named Erik for the past year, and he is totally in love with her too, but they refuse to accept that the other one likes them!’ Iseult answered, having finished sweeping the floor.

‘It’s such a shame,’ added Hild, ‘they could have been together for months already if they had just told each other how they felt.’

‘Some people just need to take their time,’ Thyra said calmly, walking over to them. ‘It took me and Beocca years to finally get together and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Some people cannot be rushed.’

Eadith smiled gratefully, giving Thyra’s hand a gentle squeeze. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps they both just needed a little time – by the sounds of it, they both had bad past experiences they needed to put behind them.

\---

It was now well into February and a thick cover of snow had descended on Winchester. Eadith loved the snow, there was always a calmness in the air and a sense of magic. She had so many memories of going sledding with her parents and her brother when they were children, back when they had no worries and her and her brother had been as thick as thieves. Those happy times seemed so long ago now.

Eadith sat in the library, nursing her hot chocolate in her hands. She was supposed to be writing one of the many essays she had due soon, but the page on her computer screen had remained blank. Instead she stared out of the window, looking over the white fields that surrounded the campus. It was beautiful, the snow crystals glinting in the winter sun like fairy dust.

She had found it very hard to concentrate since her trip to the church the previous weekend. Over the few days since then, Eadith had thought of nothing but what Gisela had told her. She knew that she cared for Finan, and she believed he cared about her too. They could be happy together if they tried, but she didn’t think she was brave enough. She also couldn’t help but think back on what Gisela had told her about Finan, how he had been hurt in the past. What if she hurt him? She didn’t think she could bare it if she broke his heart; the thought scared her more than the idea of getting her own heart broken. She hated that she was being such a coward.

As she gazed out of the window, she noticed a group of people out in the snow. She watched as one of them pushed one of the others over, resulting in them getting a snowball in the face in return. Suddenly a snowball fight had broken out, the group of students running, shrieking, and laughing like idiots. Eadith looked at the figures more closely. She laughed to herself as she realised why they seemed familiar.

Grabbing her coat, scarf, and gloves, she abandoned her stuff in the library and run out into the snow. As she left the library building, she turned right and took a small, icy path that led to the nearby fields. As she reached the edge, she watched as Finan, Uhtred, Sihtric, Osferth, Hild, Iseult and Gisela, all ran around, throwing compacted snow at each other as hard as they could. It seemed that they had broken into two teams, girls versus boys, the two groups facing each other on opposites sides of the field. The girls were outnumbered four to three – it only seemed fair for Eadith to even up the numbers.

She gathered up a fistful of snow, compacting it as hard as she could. None of them had seemed to notice her yet, something she used to her advantage as she approached the group of boys from behind. Once she was close enough, she pelted it as hard as she could in the boys’ direction.

‘Ow! What the fuck?’ Finan cried. Eadith had managed to hit him square on the back of the head. He turned to her with his face distorted in anger, but all Eadith could do was burst out laughing. ‘Oh, you thought that was funny, did ya’?’

Eadith stopped laughing immediately when she received a snowball to the face in retaliation. Before she knew it, she was in the middle of a ferocious snowball battle, the two teams trying their best to get their friends as cold and as wet as possible.

‘Shit! Eadith!’ Finan shouted as she once again landed a well-aimed shot to his face. ‘Right that’s it!’ he cried, running towards her. He grabbed her, his arms holding her tightly around her waist.

‘Finan, what the hell are you-‘ Eadith began, but she stopped immediately once she realised what he was about to do. ‘No! No! Finan don’t you bloody dare!’ she shouted as she tried to get out of his grasp. Finan had grabbed a fistful of snow and began stuffing it down the back of her coat. ‘Fuck! Stop! That’s fucking cold!’ she screamed as the freezing cold ice burned against the back of her neck.

‘It’s snow, it’s supposed to be cold!’ he laughed, throwing his head back.

By now they were all soaked and cold, their faces red from where they had been hit. Gisela and Uhtred had begun a heated argument on whose team had won, neither willing to back down. Finan wrapped his arms around Eadith’s shoulders, pulling her closer to his body so that her head rested in the crook of his neck. ‘You okay?’ he asked gently, looking down at her.

‘No because _someone_ decided to put ice down my shirt!’ she shot back, trying to make herself sound angry but she was smiling.

‘Yeah? Well I think I’m going to have a bruise on the side of my face, because _someone_ kept throwing snowballs at me from a very close range.’

‘True,’ she teased, ‘but we were having a snowball fight. So, I think I was justified. You, on the other hand, cheated!’

‘Cheated? Me?’ he gasped, opening his mouth wide in pretend shock, feigning being deeply offended. ‘Well, I guess I’ll just have to make it up to ya’. How about I buy ya’ a hot chocolate as an apology?’

Eadith hummed, pretending to weigh up his offer. ‘Very well,’ she smiled, pulling slightly away from him. The two of them walked off the field after the others, laughing as they went. Finan’s hand still holding hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just Eadith being oblivious 🙄
> 
> 'I'm tired of listening to this squirrel's arse' is absolutely one of my favourite lines from the show.
> 
> Also I am in love with Gisela... and Thyra... and all these characters really 😂
> 
> Comments always welcome xxx


	6. valentine's day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again. Thank you all for the kind comments! Some of you were saying you wanted answers, well you might a get a couple in this chapter 😉
> 
> I hope you enjoy x

‘Keep the pace up you little shits!’ Steapa shouted at them as they ran laps around the rugby pitch. ‘No slacking at the back there, Irishman!’

‘Oi, big man! Perhaps I’d run faster if I didn’t have to listen to ya’ insult me every five bleeding minutes!’ Finan shouted back.

‘Don’t aggravate him! Do you want him to make us do extra laps?’ Sihtric snapped at him.

‘He’s being a right pain in the arse recently! Perhaps Uhtred should trip him up like Aethelwold keeps telling him to.’

‘Careful what you wish for,’ Uhtred called over his shoulder, jogging just in front of Finan and Sihtric. ‘If I was captain, I would make you run twice as much just for the fun of it!’ He laughed as Finan shot him a dark look. ‘Steapa is just stressed about the final next week – give him a break.’

Uhtred was right. They had the league final coming up and everyone on the team was starting to feel the pressure, especially Steapa.

Their captain finally called them to a halt, before telling them to break off into smaller groups for drills. Uhtred, Finan and Sihtric took their familiar spot at the corner of the pitch and began to pass the ball back and forth between them.

‘Got your plans sorted for Valentine’s Day?’ asked Sihtric, casually.

‘Me and Gisela are going to a restaurant – nothing too fancy. What about you and Ealhswith?’

‘We thought we’d go see a movie. The new Mission Impossible film is coming out and she loves those films. What about you, Finan?’

Finan could feel his cheeks begin to redden. ‘I dunno, nothing much,’ he answered, realising he had completely forgotten that is was Valentine’s Day tomorrow.

‘You’re not doing anything with Eadith?’ asked Sihtric, sounding surprised.

‘I, er, hadn’t really thought about it.’

‘Why not? I thought you two were together?’

‘I...’ Finan didn’t know what to say. He’d been seeing a lot of Eadith over the past few weeks, but they hadn’t been on an official date yet and neither of them had spoken about how they felt about each other.

‘Sihtric,’ Uhtred interrupted, ‘why don’t you go help Odda with his drills.’

‘I don’t think that dickhead needs my help,’ Sihtric answered, visibly confused. Uhtred stopped what he was doing and gave him a hard, pointed look. ‘Well, I guess I could go and offer him a few tips,’ Sihtric finally admitted, taking Uhtred’s hint.

Once Sihtric was out of earshot, Uhtred turned to face Finan. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked gently, a kind look in his eyes.

Finan sighed, ‘I dunno. I guess I just don’t know what’s going on with me and Eadith.’

‘Why?’ Uhtred asked confused. ‘You obviously like her and judging by what Gisela has told me, she likes you. You spend most of your free time together. I don’t see the problem.’

‘There’s not a problem exactly. It’s just, we haven’t really talked about it. I mean, nothing is official or anything.’

‘Well that’s easy to rectify,’ Uhtred grinned, ‘just tell her how you feel about her and ask her out on a date!’

‘But what if she doesn’t want to.’ No matter how much time they spent together, no matter how much Eadith hinted that she liked him, he couldn’t believe that she would want to date him. She was far too good for him.

‘Finan, she will!’ Uhtred came over to him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. ‘You’re scared of getting your heartbroken again,’ he stated, now suddenly very serious.

‘I, I guess so,’ Finan admitted, hanging his head.

‘To succeed in life, you have to take risks. By putting yourself out there with Eadith, sure you put yourself at risk of getting hurt, but you also have an opportunity to be happy! You have to take this opportunity, Finan! They don’t come around all that often.’

‘Sorry to break up this little chit chat,’ Steapa interrupted them, ‘but we have a training session to get on with!’

‘We’re coming, big man! We’re coming!’ Finan called to the captain as he and Uhtred returned to their teammates.

\---

Finan had promised Uhtred to take his advice and ask Eadith out for Valentine’s Day, but each time he had tried he had chickened out of it. It was now the morning of the 14th February, if he was going to ask her, it was now or never. He fiddled with his phone, passing it from one hand to the other as he tried to gather his courage. Finally, he unlocked it and called Eadith.

‘Hey!’ His heart jumped a little at the sound of her voice.

‘Hi, how ya’ doing?’

‘Fine, just on my way to my next lecture. You?’

‘Oh, yeah, not too bad. Not too bad.’ A beat of silence passed as Finan struggled to find the right words. ‘I, er, I was wondering if you had any plans for tonight?’

‘Yes, I do actually.’

‘You mean you have a date for Valentine’s?’ Finan asked hesitantly, his heart plummeting. He’d left it too late. He had been such a coward and now she had found someone else.

‘Yes, I have a date with Miss Austen and Mr Fitzgerald.’ Finan frowned for a moment, before breathing a sigh of relief when he realised she was messing with him. He heard her chuckle at the other end of the phone. ‘I have two essays due tomorrow and I still have tons to do. I think I’ll have to pull an all-nighter to get it all done.’ She explained. ‘Why? Were you think of asking me out?’

‘I, er,’ he stammered. He decided to take his chance; she’d already said she wasn’t free so what harm was there in asking? ‘I might have been.’

‘Well I’m sorry I’m busy, I would have liked that a lot.’

A warm feeling began to fill his chest. ‘Well, maybe another time then?’

‘Definitely!’

\---

Eadith sat on her bed, books strewn all around her, her laptop on her lap and a hot chocolate in her hand, once again rereading the same paragraph she had been trying to rewrite for the last twenty minutes. She had worked all day and yet her essays were still no way near done, every sentence seeming like a struggle. Her mind kept wondering to Finan, and how much better it would be if she was spending the evening with him instead of her work. It was her own bloody fault, of course – she shouldn’t have left it all to the last minute.

She heard her phone buzz and smiled as she saw a message from Finan:

**_Hey, you still working?_ **

**Yes, unfortunately 🙄😢**

**_Have you eaten?_ **

**No but I’m sure I have something in the fridge x**

About twenty minutes later a knock came from the front door. Groaning, Eadith got up off her bed and clambered down the stairs to go and answer it. As she pulled the door open, she couldn’t help but gasp in surprise. There stood Finan, a huge grin on his face, with a carrier bag in one hand.

‘What are you doing here?’

‘I’ve brought food!’ he smiled, holding up the bag. ‘Couldn’t have you starving now, could I?’

‘Are those chips?’ she asked, getting a waft of the delicious smell of freshly fried potatoes as he walked past her into the kitchen.

‘Yep, I know fish n’ chips are ya’ favourite. I went to Frank’s Chippy especially.’

‘How did you know it’s my favourite? And how did you know that I like Frank’s?’

‘You told me,’ he said simply with a shrug, ‘back when we met on the bus all those weeks ago.’

Eadith smiled broadly, touched that he had remembered. They sat at the kitchen table, opening the paper wrappings and tucking into their fish supper. Eadith loved chips from the chip shop – they were so much better than anything you cooked yourself at home. They reminded her of family holidays to the seaside where they would sit on the pier and huddle for warmth as they ate their chips in the freezing cold British weather.

Eadith groaned in delight as she ate, savouring the taste – she hadn’t realised how hungry she was. Finan smiled at her enjoyment. ‘Nice?’

‘Absolutely!’ she grinned. ‘This is honestly what I needed, thank you so much.’

‘My pleasure,’ he replied, the warmth in his eyes making her heart melt.

They continued eating, Finan giving some of his own chips to her when her portion didn’t seem enough. ‘Good god woman. How much do you eat?’ he asked, laughing.

‘Sorry,’ she said sheepishly, stuffing her face was not the most ladylike thing to do in front of him. ‘They’re just _so_ good! I say again – Frank’s is the best chips in England!’

‘England maybe but they are nothing on the chips we have back in Ireland!’ he shot back, but his laugh faded into a small frown. He soon shook the look from his face and replaced it with his signature lopsided grin, but somehow Eadith didn’t think it was genuine.

‘You never talk about Ireland,’ she said, eyeing him from across the table. ‘Why is that?’ She watched as his eyes turned sad. ‘You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I just want you to know you can talk to me – if you want.’ She gave him a small smile, hoping he’d find it reassuring and not think her too nosy or inconsiderate.

He sighed deeply before answering. ‘It’s not that I don’t want ya’ to know, it’s just not something I want to bring up. It’s all in the past and I prefer to focus on the present.’ After she nodded her understanding he continued. ‘My parents sent me to England to live with my cousin when I was fourteen. They wanted rid of me. I haven’t been back since. Haven’t talked to any of them in years – as far as they’re concerned, I don’t exist! And once I turned eighteen, my cousin didn’t want anything to do with me either.’

Eadith looked at him in shock. ‘They disowned you? Why?’

‘My parents are rich back in Ireland. My father owns a large company and he wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but it wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t fit the image of what they wanted me to be. I disagreed with the way my father treated his workers; I didn’t think it was right we lived in a mansion whilst he barely paid them minimum wage. I guess I argued with him one too many times.’ He shrugged, waving his hand like it was nothing important. He glanced over at Eadith, not sure how she would react.

A sad smile appeared on her lips, her eyes full of understanding. ‘They didn’t deserve you,’ she said quietly. She got up and walked around the table so that she stood next to Finan, taking his hands in hers. ‘Your parents should’ve been proud to have you as their son. If they were too blind to see that, then they didn’t deserve you.’

Finan was shocked at her words, they somehow made his heart burst. She shocked him a second time when she leant down and placed her mouth on his. She kissed him gently, her lips soft against his own. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest so hard he thought he would explode. The kiss only lasted for a moment, but it felt like a lifetime, the whole world seeming to stand still around them.

Eadith drew back ever so slightly, still leaning over him, her face hovering above his. She hadn’t planned on kissing him, the impulse had come over her so suddenly that she hadn’t even had time to consider how he might react. She looked into his eyes and saw that he had been caught off guard; he hadn’t expected her to kiss him – which was understandable seeing as Eadith hadn’t expected it herself. Any worry she may have had, however, disappeared instantly as a cheeky grin spread across her Irishman’s face, his eyes sparkling as they went from her eyes to her lips.

He reached forward and pulled her into another kiss, hungrier and more intense than the one before. On instinct he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her towards him and bringing her down onto his lap. His senses had gone into overdrive, his mind unable to think of anything other than the way her lips felt against his, the heat of her breath against his skin and the way her body was pressed against his own. Her arms had found themselves around his neck, one hand running through his hair, making him sigh in contentment.

When they broke away for breath, they were both panting heavily. Finan couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear, however, Eadith looked almost sad. ‘What is it?’ he asked her concerned, cupping her face with his hands. ‘What’s wrong?’

She looked deep into his eyes before resting her forehead against his. ‘I know what it’s like not to have a family to go back to,’ she said quietly, barely above a whisper. ‘My family didn’t disown me, they just… fell apart.’ She gave him a small smile, drawing back from him slightly. ‘My mum left when I was thirteen. It broke my dad’s heart. I haven’t spoken to her since. Dad has to travel a lot for work, so we hardly ever see him, and when he does come home, he avoids me – I think I remind him too much of my mum. I still have my bother but…’ she broke off trying to find the right words to describe him, ‘he’s a bully. We don’t get on – haven’t for a long time. I haven’t talked to either of them since I came to uni.’ They sat together in silence for a few moments, just happy to be close with each other. ‘But like you said,’ Eadith continued, gazing into Finan’s eyes, ‘it’s all in the past. So we beat on. Boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.’

Finan frowned slightly, ‘that’s beautiful. Did you come up with that?’

‘I wish!’ Eadith laughed. ‘It’s a quote from The Great Gatsby.’

She slowly placed her hands on each side of his face, running her fingers through his beard and rubbing his jaw with her thumbs. Finan groaned at the sensation. She leant forward and kissed him again, as passionate as before. His hands ran over her back and shoulder blades; he felt her smile against his mouth as he slid his hands down to rest on her arse.

A sense of overriding happiness washed over her, however her heart ached because she knew she couldn’t spend her whole evening in Finan’s arms – as much as she might wish to. ‘As much as I love this,’ she murmured against his lips, ‘I do actually have to finish those essays by tomorrow.’

Finan groaned as she pulled away from him, getting off his lap. He suddenly felt cold, missing the heat of her body against his, and his arms felt strangely empty without having her to hold. With a deep sigh he got up from his chair and got his coat. He knew she needed to work and him staying would only distract her, but it was hard to force himself to leave.

‘You still owe me a date,’ she said teasingly as she walked him to the door.

‘I thought this was a date.’ A cocky smile grew on his face.

‘It was, and it was a great one. By far the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had.’ She smiled at him and he felt his heart flutter. ‘But I would like to go on a proper date. If you want to?’

Finan almost laughed at how nervous she looked – as if he wouldn’t want to date her. Any man would be mad to turn down going out with her and he told her as such. He pulled her into a kiss before he left, one arm around her waist and the other tangled in her hair. He didn’t want to pull away.

When he finally forced himself to say goodbye and leave, his heart was racing, and his face was flushed despite the cold evening air. He realised he had fallen for her – completely head over heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fish and Chips is probably my favourite meal after a Sunday Roast - god I'm so British 😂 Anyone who has never had proper chips from a chippy has not lived!
> 
> They finally kissed - woo!!!🎉 I am not a very romantic/emotional person so I hope this romantic stuff is okay x
> 
> I have not read The Great Gatsby - I found that quote online and have no idea what context its from but I thought it was cool so I used it.
> 
> Also, if anyone is interested, I have tumblr now: @emilyhufflepufftlk


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